Vulture alternatives

[KaizoMK]

I'm looking to try out another ship. I'm sitting on about 10m, vulture is worth about 18m right now. I'm looking for a reasonable upgrade/sidegrade.

Things I love about the vulture:
-shields are massive!
-large hardpoints. I wreck most ships with gimballed pulse lasers....the more fragile ships I interdict fall before my fsd cooldown expires.
-agile as all be damned

Things I don't love about the vulture:
-shields are required to survive, and thus take forever to recharge
-energy hungry, can't possibly fit everything I'd want.
-not feasible to pirate with, so it's hard to entertain ADD.
-900k buyback currently


I would take a slight downgrade for cost efficiency, or a sidegrade. Get creative! What ship would you suggest and why? No wrong answers here.

 

[Gusty]

Alternatives ?

A Vulture with a third pulse laser.

 

[quickr]

i found courier to be excellent low cost replacement for my vulture

 

[LeetNoob]

If you want some fun, this is a great build. It's really just a smaller vulture but it's power isn't an issue as much and it's a lot cheaper. Shields are still really strong.
Not really addressing you alternative request though.

http://www.edshipyard.com/#/L=707,4yG7u57u501Q0_g0_g0_g,2-6Q4s4s2C4s3I5A,7Pc7fE03w03w03w02M

- - - Updated - - -

Or for a bit of piracy.

http://www.edshipyard.com/#/L=70h,4ws4ws7u57u53Qw0_g0_g0_g,2-6Q6Q6Q3m4s3I6k,7Pc05U05UA2M

 

[CMDR Harada]

Only suggestion I'd make is swapping in 2 large beams, fixed or gimbled, your choice.
.
The only real alternative are the FDL, Python, and Clipper. All except the Clipper offer more firepower ( due to the Clippers poor weapon placement requiring gimbled mounts ). But NONE of them match the Vulture for agility, so you'll have your weapons on target more often.
.
The Vulture is the weapon of choice for a RES hunter or CZ freak.

 

[Samosa]

i found courier to be excellent low cost replacement for my vulture

The Courier definitely kills more slowly than the Vulture, but it's a lot of fun to fly and can be A rated fairly cheaply. Low insurance cost, too.

The shields are fantastic, especially with four A boosters.

 

[KaizoMK]

I was considering courier once they fix naval ascension. It looks like a lot of fun.

Only suggestion I'd make is swapping in 2 large beams, fixed or gimbled, your choice.
.
The only real alternative are the FDL, Python, and Clipper. All except the Clipper offer more firepower ( due to the Clippers poor weapon placement requiring gimbled mounts ). But NONE of them match the Vulture for agility, so you'll have your weapons on target more often.
.
The Vulture is the weapon of choice for a RES hunter or CZ freak.

Don't they heat up too quickly to be as effective as pulse lasers?

 

[Samosa]

I was considering courier once they fix naval ascension. It looks like a lot of fun.

Courier only requires tier 3 of the Empire ranks, and naval ascension works just fine if you know how it works.

Edit: Although, yes, it's broken, but not completely.

 

[LeetNoob]

Only suggestion I'd make is swapping in 2 large beams, fixed or gimbled, your choice.
.
The only real alternative are the FDL, Python, and Clipper. All except the Clipper offer more firepower ( due to the Clippers poor weapon placement requiring gimbled mounts ). But NONE of them match the Vulture for agility, so you'll have your weapons on target more often.
.
The Vulture is the weapon of choice for a RES hunter or CZ freak.

Beams on a Vulture mean sacrificing on power elsewhere so I find it too much. I also find the power draw for two Class 3 beams on a class 5 distributor to be too quick. Although others might make it work.

 

[Raf von Thorn]

Try the Courier. Shields are about the same and 3 hardpoints allow more flexibility and fun setups. I mean running multicannons or railguns on the Vulture is just a waste of hardpoints, but a lot of fun on the Courier:

[video=youtube;jIsA9TJT52w]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIsA9TJT52w[/video]

And the insurance is 250-300k.

Also dont believe the Vulture fans. Any bigger ship is better for PvE or PvP (Clipper, FDL, Python).

Vulture is so popular, because its agility makes it very easy to use and its fairly cheap. But its not the best ship around.

 

[EUS]

If you don't have empire ranking, try out a DBE, I was having a lot of fun with it.
Cannot comment on courier, as I'm a fed-head, but it's a quick little ship.

 

[quickr]

my courier setup:
http://www.edshipyard.com/#/L=707,7u57u57u501Q01Q0_g0_g,316Q4s4s2M4s3c5A,7Pc7fE7dg7d_9qc4wE

4 pips in shields as kinetic weapons don't require much energy and 3x SCB will give you back almost 100% of shields. it's a nice little tank, only drawback you have to refill your ammo now and then, so it's not good for RES and combat zones.

I use it for PvP fun and assassination missions.

 

[Jack Schitt]

Is this PvP or PvE or a little of both? I'm having a lot of fun experimenting with the Diamondback Explorer as a PvE bounty hunting ship. Most people seem to have plumped for the Scout, but I've fitted the Explorer with a Class 3 beam and two Class 2 multi-cannon and I'm having as much fun with it as I did with the Vulture. And it still has room for scanners, interdictors and other goodies, while maintaining a 25+ light year jump range. Some power management is needed if you equip shield boosters, but nothing too complex. It's held its own against wings of 3 Master NPCs (Cobras and Vipers) and one-on-one against high-ranked Vultures and Pythons. It struggles against well-equipped Anacondas, though. But maybe that's just my poor skills.

PvP is another game, of course. The combat DBE might be OK as part of a wing but I'd expect it to fare quite badly against a player-piloted Python or Vulture without support. Against a wing of such ships I doubt it would stand a chance unless you stacked SCBs and did a Brave Sir Robin at the earliest opportunity.

 

[LeetNoob]

my courier setup:
http://www.edshipyard.com/#/L=707,7u57u57u501Q01Q0_g0_g,316Q4s4s2M4s3c5A,7Pc7fE7dg7d_9qc4wE

4 pips in shields as kinetic weapons don't require much energy and 3x SCB will give you back almost 100% of shields. it's a nice little tank, only drawback you have to refill your ammo now and then, so it's not good for RES and combat zones.

I use it for PvP fun and assassination missions.

i like the idea of the all cannon setup to tank shields. would you not upgrade the sensors to 2A?

 

[Gusty]

Try the Courier. Shields are about the same and 3 hardpoints allow more flexibility and fun setups. I mean running multicannons or railguns on the Vulture is just a waste of hardpoints, but a lot of fun on the Courier:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIsA9TJT52w

And the insurance is 250-300k.

Also dont believe the Vulture fans. Any bigger ship is better for PvE or PvP (Clipper, FDL, Python).

Vulture is so popular, because its agility makes it very easy to use and its fairly cheap. But its not the best ship around.

Do you speak about PvP 1vs1 ?
Than maybe and depends of the pilot you are right.

But i would like to see what happens 2 Vultures vs 2 Pythons or Clippers. Well the Clippers would run.

 

[chad77]

Beams on a Vulture mean sacrificing on power elsewhere so I find it too much. I also find the power draw for two Class 3 beams on a class 5 distributor to be too quick. Although others might make it work.

I use the best of both worlds, one gimb pulse and one gimb beam, shield str still over 500 and kills are a bit faster. but yes I agree dual beams are too much, drains to fast and have to sacrifice too much power to equip them both.

 

[KaizoMK]

my courier setup:
http://www.edshipyard.com/#/L=707,7u57u57u501Q01Q0_g0_g,316Q4s4s2M4s3c5A,7Pc7fE7dg7d_9qc4wE

4 pips in shields as kinetic weapons don't require much energy and 3x SCB will give you back almost 100% of shields. it's a nice little tank, only drawback you have to refill your ammo now and then, so it's not good for RES and combat zones.

I use it for PvP fun and assassination missions.

Sounds fun. Are those better than pulse lasers though? I was under the impression that kinetics didn't do well against shields.

 

[Raf von Thorn]

But i would like to see what happens 2 Vultures vs 2 Pythons or Clippers. Well the Clippers would run.

Is that a joke? Vultures die every time.

 

[Colonel North]

I was considering courier once they fix naval ascension. It looks like a lot of fun.

You'll be able to afford an A rated Python by then.

 

[quickr]

i like the idea of the all cannon setup to tank shields. would you not upgrade the sensors to 2A?

Can't fit it without turning some modules off. This way, with sensors 2C I can fly with boosters and SCB always on.
Only FSD, interdictor, cargo hatch and fuel scoop are off. Everything else is up and running when weapons are deployed.

Sounds fun. Are those better than pulse lasers though? I was under the impression that kinetics didn't do well against shields.

I was skeptical too about all kinetic weapons but soon found out how awesome it is to have all 4 pips into shields and not worrying about your weapons having enough power. It takes some time to take down shields (not much) but once you do, you chew through enemy's hull in no time.